Rare surface rupture captured in newly released video of 2025 M7.7 Myanmar earthquake
Newly surfaced security camera footage from the March 28, 2025, M7.7 earthquake near Mandalay, Myanmar, shows a rare surface rupture along the Sagaing Fault. The footage captures the ground visibly splitting and shifting laterally, offering a very rare, ground-level view of a strike-slip fault in motion.
The M7.7 earthquake struck at 12:50 local time, with the epicenter located 14 km (8.7 miles) north-northwest of Sagaing. It resulted in 5 449 fatalities, 11 404 injuries, and extensive damage to infrastructure across central Myanmar.
The shallow 10 km (6.2 miles) depth led to intense ground motion, damaging roads, railways, and numerous buildings, including historical structures in Mandalay.
Security camera footage released in May 2025 shows the moment of surface rupture at the Green Power Energy Solar Project in Tha Pyay Wa, Mandalay Region.
The video captures a clear right-lateral displacement along the fault trace, consistent with strike-slip motion. It is one of the rare instances where such ground deformation has been recorded in real time from ground level.
According to seismologist Fumihiko Ikegami, the footage provides valuable observational data for fault mechanics, typically studied only through satellite imagery or post-event field surveys. The clarity and proximity to the rupture zone make the footage a significant scientific resource.
The earthquake ruptured a section of the 1 200 km (746 miles) long Sagaing Fault—a major right-lateral strike-slip fault running north to south through Myanmar.
Satellite data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 confirmed a surface rupture extending over 500 km (311 miles), with the main rupture zone measuring approximately 530 km (329 miles) in length and 20 km (12.4 miles) in width.
The event was classified as supershear, with the rupture front propagating faster than seismic shear waves. Maximum horizontal displacement reached 6 m (19.7 feet), with a peak slip of 4.3 m (14.2 feet) southeast of the hypocenter.
It reached MMI X (Extreme) intensity, with a peak ground acceleration of 0.62 g and ground velocity of 5.8 km/h (3.6 mph). Infrastructure suffered extensive damage, roads twisted, railways were deformed, and historical mosques and monasteries in Mandalay were destroyed. Estimated economic losses amounted to US$1.9 billion.
This earthquake, the strongest in Myanmar since the 1912 Maymyo event (Mw 7.9), is now the second-deadliest in the country’s modern history.
References:
1 Violent M7.7 earthquake hits Sagaing, Myanmar, leaving over 4 400 fatalities, 5 400 injured and many missing – The Watchers – March 28, 2025
2 Seismologists analyze Myanmar’s devastating M7.7 earthquake – The Watchers – April 20, 2025
Reet is a science journalist and researcher with a keen focus on extreme weather, space phenomena, and climate-related issues. With a strong foundation in astronomy and a history of environmental activism, she approaches every story with a sharp scientific lens and a deep sense of purpose. Driven by a lifelong love for writing, and a curiosity about the universe, Reet brings urgency and insight to some of the most important scientific developments of our time.
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